Fruit grading or sorting machine



Dec. 8, 1931. A, H MCINTYRE 1,835,889

FRUIT GRADING OR SORTING MACHINE Filed March 13, 1929 6 Shee'tS-Sheet 2 Eri/g5 554 5 s ATTORNEYS Dec. 8, 1931. A. H. MCINTYRE FRUT GRADING OR SORTING MACHINE Filed March 13, 1929 6 Sheefns-$heel 5 ec. 87 1931. A. H. MCINTYRE ,835,889

lFRUIT GRADING OR SORTING MACHINE Filed March l5, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Dec. 8, 1931. A. H. MCINTYRE FRUIT GRADING OR SORTING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March l5, 1929 INVENTOR /z' ATTORNEYS Des. mi. A. H, Mcm-URE www@ FRUIT GRADING OR SORTING MACHINE Filed March l5, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Dec. 8,y 1931 UNITED lSTATES ALLEN n. MCINTYRE, or WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA, AssIeNon, F onza-HALF 'rol1i..;B-.,

PATENT 1 l IPEASE COMPANY., 0F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION' 0F YORK,

FRUIT- GRADING on'sonrrrNe/MACHINE v application med March 13,1929. serial No. 346,644.

l My present invention relates to grading and sorting machines and more particularly to fruit grading machinesand it has for itsobject to provide a simple, eiiicient, durable and quiet running machine that will rapidly diameters on dilferent axes besides varyingv handle the work and with convenience to the operator. Thez improvements are' directed in part to the means for up-edging fruits such as apples, which have widely different in shape as well as size, and to the means for selecting the various sizes and dividing them into grades4 on the basis of'v their greatest diameters.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combina tions of parts, allas will behereinaftermorefully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings Fig. l' is al side elevation of' a grading or. sorting machine constructed ink accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of'my j invention;

Fig. 2. is a top plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged? end'view of what may be termed the delivery and driving end of the machine, the receivingv tables being omitted;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation ofthe opposite or receiving end of the machine, one of.

the receiving tables being broken away;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged; fragmentary Vsection taken vertically through the receiving end of the machine on substantially the line 5-5 W1, o.V v Of ig. o, v

Fig; 6" a: fragmentary enlarged' side' ele- Fig. 7 is a further enlarged fragmentary detail taken in transverse section through one of the apple runway troughs;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8 8' vationv of the receiving end of the machiini;Y

4Fig.I l1 is a section on thel'ine 11e-Hof* Fig. 10, and i "Y Fig. l2 is a collective view 'comprising different sections similar to Fig; Il illustrative ofthe manner in whichsuccessive selector belts operate upon theffruit.

Similar reference numerals throughoutthe several-views indicatethe` sameparts.'y

It will be understood at the` outset'v that while, as before stated, thel machines: ofthe present invention is particularly 'adapted for use in grading apples becauseof the peculiar characteristics of the shapes in which they grow and the machine will? be described, asV it has been illustrated, witlr particular reference tothe gradingof apples,nevertheless:it.` y

upon. If an. apple is thrown rolling along r` a pavement or similar'plane surface it will;`

vtumble and spin until,: if therforce' of; itstravel isy sufficient, it finally obtains trac tion and rolls smoothlyl on thevroundnessz of its greatest diameter5tha`tiis onfitsrisideand rotating on-4 the` axis, approximatel'. of its stemandrblow. This'isbecause*suclpositionI isf the line of least resistance for it" and lthe" 4friction against its. flatter' endsv ultimately: forces itV to that position..

The machine of my presentinventionutil-Y izes this principle,fmeans being provided for: causing the apples to travelY with 'a rollingand tumbling" motionY along a runway while resistant friction is supplied: in opposition' thereto by elements which Ix will callffupe. edgers, resulting inthe same'righting of the fruit. It thus passesfto selectors successively adapted to respectively function? only upon apples of: av certainv maxi-mumdiameter;

pso,

scriptionfofone ofthese groups will sutlice` for all. y Y y Referring more particularly to the drawings 1 indicates the framework of the in achine (Figs. 1 and 2)"and 2 the runways along which the. apples travel in 'tl e direction indicated bythe arrows. A, B, C, andv D are laterally supported receiving 'tables for respectively catchf the apples of these grades, A, of course, being larger and finer fruit. The culls are accommodated in runwayA E to be later described. The runway 2 as shown inseetion in Figs. 7 and 10, for instance, preferably consists of a, Veshaned trough supported on a bracket board 3 and along` the inner face of the outer wall which slides `an endless belt travel thedirection of the arrows runningovei pulleys `5 and 6. Applesdelivered into this trough in the manner hereinafter explained tlius'travel along in rolling rContact with this belt-and in frictional contact with the opposite wall of the troughas-best seen in i" and 8. This diversity of contact itself has a tendency to tip-edge the apples, but vthis is accomplished more quickly by a light pressure onfthe apple from above in furtherance of its mere grzwitaticnalv Contact. For this purpose I arrangeupon thecross piece '27 of the frame 1, whereon the runway supporting bracket 3 is arranged, a bracket- 8 having a horizontal portion 9 on which is secured a plurality of tip-edging contact fingers 10. l1 and 1 2v which .trail or extend longitudinally of the runway and directly ab ve'the They preferably `consistof pliable canvas strips superposedone upon another as cle ly shownfin Fig. 8, the underones being 'i gressively shorter than those that overlie it'.

In this way,`V still referring to 8 several tongues can simultaneously contact` with successivefapplesof ditl'erentsizes whiclrare following each other along in Yclose .proXin/n` ity.; Otherwise thestongue or finger 10 in contact with apple X wouldtbecau'se of the size of the latter, be preyented from operating upon the succeeding smaller apples VY and Z.V This is just the fricti'onalcontact needed in connection with the traveling belt 4 andthe stationary wall of the trough to right each and every apple quickly and eX- peditiouslv before it reaches the Zone of the selector and lgrader element. l

Additionally I provide zfor the agitation of the apples in the trough or runway and on flroin. l.

y VLssase'e the belt to prevent them from piling up or jamming, and l do this through the medium of these tip-edging fingers. To this end the brackets 8 are not mounted directly upon or lined to the cross pieces 7 of the frame, but mounted upon a frame 13 shown in detail in Fig. 9 that reciprocates inguides 14 (Fig. 10) through the action of the mechanism hereinafter described. Cross bars 1e on the frame carry the lip-edging lingers.

Y The construction and inode of operation of the selecting and grading elements which are generally indicated at 15 in the more comprehensive figures the tip-edging lingers' being similarly indicated at 16 in said figures) are best understood by reference to Figs. 10', n, is. longitudinally of the machine ateach side driven as hereinafter explained,is supported in bearingbrackets 18 on upper cross pieces 19 of the frame 1 and hassplined thereon in each instance a pulley 20. Mounted to rock independently on this shaft adjacent to' and sj anning the pulley 2O is a yoke 21at the lower `end of which are hearingplates 22 carrying a shaft 23 en whichturns a companion pulley V2/l.l 'lhese bearing plates 22 have adustable slotand bolt connections 25 with the yoke arm 21 whereby, under the influence of a jack screw 26, they maybe adjusted Yon the yoke' to loosen or tighten a belt 27 that runs over both pulleysv and is driven by pulley 20. The lower reach 28 of the belt 27 runs in the direction of the arrows transversely of and above the runway trough 2 at an inclination as shown clearly in `llig. 10., The bracket board 3 ofthe trough is cut away vat 29 to admit it in the exact spaced relationship to the belt l on ther oppositeside of the trough 2 to cause it to contact only with righted apples of just the size intended for the adjacent grade receiving table which, in Fig; 10, is table A. The contact of the belt with the apple ejects it upwardly and laterally onto the table. v Y

Vis before stated, these successive selectors 15 are successively adjusted todifferent relationships relatively to the; trough orrunway and the belt `thereon to progressively select and eject apples of diameters running se to small. The adjusting means embodies an eXtensi i of thesha-ft operatingg` a Y lsoY with a bracket 32 on A cross piece 19 of theframe 1.v It ris obvious that through' this instrumentality the yoke 21, pulley 24- and `belt27-2S may be swung on the axis of pulley 20, namely the shaft 17, to maintain a predetermined pointof contact of the reach 2S of the belt with the fruit. l

It is to be noted in this connection that the pulleys 20 and 24: are on opposite sides of the runway or trough 2 so that they are removed from the vicinityA of the point of Contact of the roach 28 of the belt with the apples. 4N evrlhe shaft 17, one of which runs on the opposite sidel 1? y carrying a jack screw 31 colSU crtheless, I make this contact positive and definite through the provision of a shoe 33 on the yoke 2l over which the belt travels delinitely in its intended plane and which backs up the belt to prevent it from yielding in its contact with the apple. This, however, does not produce any bruising eect because of another provision that I make in the arrangement of the parts which constitutes a feature of my present invention. This consis-ts in always maintaining the ejecting reach 28 of the belt in a plane which diverges in the direction of travel of the belt with respect to the opposite wall of the runway 2 and the belt 4 thereon between which belt 4 and belt 28 the apple must issue. lVere the opposite the case the apple would be jammed,

l crowded and bruised but as it is it frees itself with one un'ip the moment the selector belt touches it. The progressive contacts of the ejector belts with the apples of the diii'erent sizes A, B, C and Bare illustrated structurally in Fig. l1 and diagrainmatieally in the collective view of Fig. l2.

Turning now to the general construction of the machine and the manner in which thc iiistrumeiitalities described are operated or driven, the prime mover (Figs. l, 3 and 5) is a motor "4 arranged beneath the support or framework l and driving, through a belt 35, a jack shaft 36 at the delivery end of the inachine. Through sprockets anc 3S and a sprocket chain 39 this jack shaft drives a shaft 40 upon which are secured the driving pulleys 5 of the apple conveying 1ielts 4. A sprocket 4l on shaft 40 is connected by a sprocket chain 42 to a central transverse shaft 43 carrying a pulley 44 that is the driving means of a belt 45 running thereover and over an idle pulley 4S at the feed end of the machine. The upper reach of this belt 45, travelling in the direction of the arrow, rides on the bottom of the runway E suitably supported on the cross pieces 7 of the frame to run centrally down its middle. This constitutes a conveyor for carrying away to the delivery end of the machine,

where they are suitably received by an appropriete container, the culls that are preliminai'ily picked out by hand and thrown therein.

Also secured to the shaft 43 is a crank arm 47 (Fig. 5) connected by a pitmaii 48 to the frame 13 of the rip-edging fingers lO-*ll-l2 to effect the oscillation thereof for the purpose hereinbefore described..

The jack shaft 36 is also connected by pulleys 49 and 50 and a belt 5l to drive an upper shaft 52 having bearings 53 in the frame l. Bevel gears 54 on this shaft mesh with bevel gears 55 on the ends of the selector shafts 17 to simultaneously drive the selector elements l5 including pulleys 2O and ejecting belts 27. v

The apples may be introduced at the receiving end of the machine, namely the right l44therein in any. suitable manner. In the` present instance, I provide a receiving table 56 sloping toward therunivays 2 and upon which the apples are dumped from a suitable chute 57. A V- shaped baille ,58` prevents them from entering the `cull runway E though the projecting portion ofthe vcull conveying belt 45 may be utilized to agitate them and causeA tlieinlto divide and roll into the sorting runways 2 at either side.

It will be noticed particularly from an inspection of Fig. 1l ofv thedrawiiigs that the belt 28 is quite a little wider than the face of the pulleys 20 and 24, thatv is, the driving faces with which the belt comes in contact. This is for the purpose of giving a little leeway through the yieldingv of the belt at the edge thereof which is advanced toward the incoming path of the` apple so that it will not be jammed initiallyy by the belt on iirst contact so that if the apple is of slightly greater diameter' than the spacing of thev belt ywhich is adjusted for the largest or' next largest size it will not, in its ejection thereof, crainp or bruise the apple.

l claim as my invention:

l. A means for rip-edging apples for selection according to their size on their greatest diameters comprising a runway, means for f propelling apples therealong, a thin yielding tongue projecting longitudinally of the runway above the same adaptedV to press down upon the apples until-they roll upon their greatest circuniferences, and means for vibrating the tongue in a reciprocatorymanner in adirection longitudinally of the path 'of travel of the apples.y

2. A means for vip-edging apples for seleciop tion according to their size on their greatest g diameters comprising a runway, `means for propelling apples therealong, and a plurality of thin, yielding, overlapping tongues of relatively different lengths Aprojecting lon gitu-V dinally of the runway 'above the same adapted to press clownv upon the apples until they roll upon their greatest circumferences, a shorter tongue boing arranged to' engage a small apple while an adjacent longer tongue is held therefroinbya large apple.- 4 i In an apple grading machine,for .the lil-ze, the combination with-a frame, of a run way thereon and avplura-lity of selectors associated therewith respectively adapted to discharge the apples accordingto'size on their ples alongthe runway comprising a travelling belt surface associated with a relatively resiste-.nty surface, a reciprocatory frame movable inv parallelism with the runway, and a plurality of yielding apple engaging elements on the frame, each arranged in. advance of one ofl the-selectors and; adapted to increase thefrietional Contact of the apple and cause it to travel on its greatest circumference.

el. ln an apple grading machine, or' the like, the combination with ai frame, ef a runway f5? thereon and a plurality of selectors associated therewith respectively adapted to discharge the apples according to size on their greatest diameters, means for Vpropelling ap- :ples along the runway comprising a travelling belt surface associated with a relatively resistant surface, a reciprocatory frame Inovable in parallelism with therunway, and a plurality of yieldingI apple engaging elements lon the frame, each arranged in advance of one of tlie'selecters-and adapted to increase the frictional contact of the apple and cause it te travel en its greatest circumference, the said apple engaging elements embodying pliable lingers extending longitudinally of th path of the apples.

5. ln an apple grading machine, the conibination with a runway along which pples are adapted to be advanced, of a selecting and ejeeting device comprising an endless belt arranged to travel transversely of the runway in proximity thereto to Contact with apples therein of certain size, and a backingmp shee in contact with the inner side of the belt at the point at which its outer side engages the apples.

G. ln an apple grading machine, the com binatien with a runway along which apples are adapted te be advanced, of a selecting and ejecting device comprising an endless 1beltarranged to travel transversely of the runway in proximity thereto to Contact with apples therein ef a-certain size, and a baeling-np shoe in contact with the inner side of the belt at the point at which its outer side engages' the apples, such apple contacting run of thebelt beingl divergent in the direction of its travel with respect te the opposite wall ef the runway.

T1 an apple grading machine, the coin- All bination with a runway along which apples are adapted to be advanced, of a selecting and ejecting device comprising an endless belt arranged te travel transversely of the runway in proximity thereto te contact with apples therein of a certainsize, and surnport-v pulleys fer the belt arranged on opposite sides of the rnn'way at substantialA distances Vfrom the peint at which fruit on said runway would Contact with said belt.

8. In an apple grading machine, the conrbinatien with a runway along which apples are adapted to be advanced, of a selecting and ejectine device comprising a pair of pulleys and an endless belt runnin@ thereon and arl ranged to travel transversely of the/runway in proximity thereto to Contact with apples therein of a certain size, the belt being wider than the pulley face se te be yielding at its edge for the purposes set forth.

ALLEN MCNTYRE. 

